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Nasal mucus; on the very tip of the nose, sunset afterglow still lingers

水洟や鼻の先だけ暮れ残る

mizubana ya hana no saki dake kurenokoru

(Akutagawa Ryūnosuke 芥川龍之介)

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The verb kurenokoru refers to something being lit by the afterglow that lingers in the sky for a while after the sun has set. In the poem, the redness of the runny nose is likened to this kind of faint, indirect light.

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